Wednesday, November 30, 2011

This week I was distracted but flying high on all the nice comments I got on Facebook regarding my "guest appearance" on Angela's Handsome Bob Podcast. Angela said I was a natural which at first made me blush as I never ever thought of myself as able to speak *in public*. Not that a podcast is exactly speaking in public but all the same it was strange to not feel nervous and I did enjoy it. Maybe it was the attention. I don't know. Normally I do not like being in the spotlight but it seems that I eat up attention these days since I spend most of my days alone with only myself and the internet to talk to. It is a challenge at times to "step away from the computer. As much as I hate to admit it I guess I get a bit lonely when I am not immersed in my work and throwing paint around or working on my Etsy shop.

I finally managed to step away and switch gears back to *watercolor Deb* to do a speculative commission. I am still waiting to hear if what I did was acceptable but I had fun doing it and it was a bit of challenge for me.

I am happy to say that all my Christmas shopping is done and it is not even December yet! I just have the usual *oh I think I will make so and so this* to work on and then I can relax and enjoy the holidays.

Now…if only I can coax some elves to come and decorate the house… back to the sewing machine.

Started this blog that is. It took me all day to set this thing up (I am a noodler). I look forward to sharing my artistic inspiration as well as news of my Etsy shop. You will find out about upcoming sales events (such as the 20% off Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale) here too.

Bear with me while I get the hang of this though...blogging is new to this girl. ;)

Without further ado here are three of my latest paintings:

"Golden Gate"

(16x20 on watercolor canvas)

This is my first attempt at using watercolor canvas. It is very strange stuff. It is both horrible and wonderful at the same time. The horrible aspect is that while painting on the surface I find myself wanting to pitch it through a window. It doesn't behave in the same way as the Arches watercolor paper I have used for a gazillion years. However, it is forgiving in that you can virtually wash off any "uh ohs" and start again. I have found that I should not judge it until it is dry because like all watercolor painting, it has a mind of its own and sometimes knows what is best. I'm not abandoning Arches though it is fun to try something new now and then.

"Bonding at Bellows"

(9x14 Watercolor on 140# Arches)

This painting and the one below were commissions. I don't normally like doing commissions because I have to love the subject matter or I can't do it justice, but in this case I did love the images. The client is giving these to his wife for Christmas. This one is the beach where they were married hence the title.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Today my good friend (and "partner in crime") Irene and I were guests on a podcast! When Angela from The Handsome Bob Podcast emailed me about being a guest to talk about the Tom Hollander website that Irene and I created my first reaction was "oh nooooo..." After all I am a shy person at heart. But apparently at least one person foresaw the future for when we created Thomagination almost five years ago Don said to me "someday someone will want to interview you about this". "Nah!" I would say, brushing the comment away in the air. Irene and I are very proud of the site but I honestly didn't think that would happen. After all it is a bit of a secret identity for me. Anyway, if you are curious and want to hear it you can click here:

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Just one of the many things Don and I are thankful for is how fortunate we are to live so close we are to this:

I took this a few days ago when I went to La Jolla Shores to walk at an extremely low tide. I love the reflections and I will probably do a painting from this at some point. Enjoy your day wherever you are!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Not me but Chef Bernard at The Marine Room in La Jolla. Today while zipping around town picking up things for Thanksgiving dinner—including the unexpected purchase of a new food processor :(—I was listening to Midday Edition with Maureen Cavanaugh. This is an excellent program with lots of good tips.
Later I will tell you an interesting story related to Chef Bernard. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I am constantly amazed by the things I learn about via Twitter. This morning it is an App for the iPhone called "If Poems"

I like it because some of the poems are read by Billy Nighy and Helena Bonham Carter but another nice thing is that part of the proceeds go to @SaveTheChildren. It's a great little app that not only lets you hear the poems but you can record your own as well and share them. I am still exploring it but was pleased to see that when I searched for a poem that was my grandfather's favorite ("Sea Fever") it was indeed there and read by the lovely Bill Nighy. Check it out.

And for those of you who know me well…Yes I am indeed wondering why Tom Hollander is not reading some of these poems. Perhaps in v2.0?

Friday, November 18, 2011

Today I fully intended to go to the shores to get some exercise in and see if my egret friends were there again at the "falls" just north of the pier and below SIO. Somehow that didn't happen. It was too cold and gloomy to go and I knew but the time I got there the tide would be high.

I'm convinced that the bird in the pictures above is the same one I have seen on several occasions. He/she is almost always in the same general location and is extremely tame in that I can get within about six feet before he flies off briefly and then returns when he/she sees I mean no harm. Sometimes there are other snowy egrets there as well. In fact the first time I discovered them it looked like a party was going on under the little waterfall that empties onto the beach there. In the space of about 45 minutes 13 showed up. I took these pics intending to do a new watercolor with this beautiful creature as the subject. But sitting in my "thinking chair" talking on the phone with my daughter and staring at the beginnings of a project I started long ago I came up with another idea. Stay tuned and you will see another side of my art. Art Quilts.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

I finished this the other day but in my excitement of working on setting up this blog I forgot to add it here. I welcome your suggestions for a title. I am running out of ideas for my island/sailing series.

About Me

I'm a watercolor artist and graphic designer living in America's Finest City.
Watercolor is my main artistic passion in life. In addition to painting and graphic design I also divide my time knitting, spinning, dyeing yarn, making art quilts and the occasional foray into handmade books.
Last but not least, as anyone who truly knows me will tell you, in my semi-secret life I happily maintain www.thomagination.com, a website dedicated to the brilliant English actor Tom Hollander.
Random fact: I have an affinity with hummingbirds.